Tending the Garden of the Heart
A 30 Day Journey of Mental and Emotional Self-Care and Healing
Every therapist has a toolkit of principles and practices they use often. The golden tools they rely on the most frequently, the field-tested ones they have come to trust. These are the principles that bring the most clarity in the shortest possible time. The practices that bring the most benefit, for the least possible effort.
These are what we’ll work through in this journey together.
I want to make these powerful inner practices more available, in a way that doesn’t require ideology, dogma, years of therapy or thousands of dollars. I want to make therapeutic literacy more available to those who stand to benefit from it.
Which, I think, is everyone.
In my work, I bring cutting-edge neuroscience together with solutions-focused therapy, informed by Buddhist and other non-dual and earth-based wisdom traditions I’ve studied with.
During the course of our 30 days together I'll be guiding you through some of the most powerful practices and principles I have encountered and/or created over 15 years in private practice as a psychotherapist, and 20 years of experience facilitating transformative experiences in wild nature.
How does it work?
It’s simple. Each day you get a friendly email from me, with a carefully chosen practice for you to do. There’s even an audio version to listen to if you prefer. Read (or listen to) the email, have a go at the practice.
Time commitment: about 30min a day. (Sometimes less.) It’s not an obligation, it’s an invitation. A daily invitation to self-care, self-tending. But over the month we go on a journey. A journey that I think you’ll be stretched by (at times), grow from and be nourished by.
Do I need to have done something like this before?
No, not at all. It’s meant to be accessible for anyone who wants to do the work.
What will I get from it?
A self-development program like no other. Simple, battle-tested, self-care healing practices delivered to you daily, in bite-sized doses. Accountability is built in, because it’s not a program you can buy and forget about. I’m inviting you to deepen into yourself daily, for a month! Some days there are audio recordings of guided meditations, for those that may find them useful. But mostly you just read an email and accept the invitation to the best of your ability, according to what you need/feel/want that day. Easy. And you keep the email, so you can repeat the journey as many times as you like.
What kind of things will we cover?
Week One:
The Foundations of mental/emotional health
My top 2 practices for releasing stuck feelings and establishing emotional flow in the nervous system.
My 4 favourite meditation practices to center and soothe the nervous system - beyond mindfulness (which can get overly heady), but heartfulness - weaving presence into our somatic experience
The Emotional Needs Audit - how well are your emotional/psychological needs being met?
A Definition of Holistic Health - a needs-based organizing idea that is key for building a life that works
The Internal Guidance System - an approach to understanding your unique organism that blends neuroscience with grounded, heartful, human wisdom.
Rosenberg’s Basic exercise for improving Vagal Nerve Tone
Week Two:
Trauma Informed Self-Care
Parts of Self - ‘we talk with many voices’
Wounded Self and a roadmap for healing.
Power wounds - Disempowerment and False Empowerment
Boundary Wound - Abandonment and Intrusion
Inner Elder - ‘it’s what’s right with us that fixes what is wrong with us’
Week Three:
Grief and Loss - Learning to Ride the River of Grief
Our relationship with grief is our relationship with Life
‘Grief is the Garden of the Heart - Tend it’ - Rumi
River of Grief Meditation
Creating Your Own Grief Ceremony, using the Natural Elements
Week Four
Heart-Tending Meditation
Heart as Flame Meditation
The Medicine Place - guided meditation practice for deep heart-tending
The Sacred Fire - creating a sanctuary inside
The Circle of Support/ Council of Allies - cultivating authentic relationship to internal authority
Each weekend between includes an Invitation to Celebration and Following Your Good.
When will it start?
The program itself will begin on the next Monday after you signed up. So don't worry if you don't hear from me till then (apart from a welcome email) - that's exactly as it should be.
What can I expect?
Beginning next Monday and then each following day, for 30 days, an email will arrive in your inbox, from me. Read the email and/or listen to the audio of the email text (let me read it to you!). Expect to be empowered, validated, stretched and nourished. Expect this to be a powerful inward journey like no other, where accountability and integration into your daily life is built-in to the process.
What is the time commitment?
Each day there will be an invitation for you. Something that will take about 30 minutes to complete, so you can weave it into your life. Many people do it first thing in the morning, perhaps waking earlier to really get stuck in before the demands of the day.
Can I reply to the emails?
Yes, each day you'll be able to reply to the email, to let us know about your experience with that day's invitation. And to ask any questions you might have. Either I, or a fellow psychotherapist on my team, will read and respond to your email.
Is this psychotherapy?
No, it's not. If you need mental health support I'll point you in the direction of a service that can offer it. This journey is not meant to take the place of therapy, or mental health services for those who are severely traumatised and/or struggling in their lives.
It's meant as an adjunct to therapy, or as a self-development resource for folks who are basically doing okay and would like to be doing even better.
What else do I need to know?
Just that this journey has been carefully and lovingly crafted to meet you exactly where you are, and take you on a deep and satisfying healing journey. You are free to participate in it as much or as little as serves you. Take what is useful, leave the rest. The invitation is to dive deep and do it with care, respect, awareness and kindness. As I often say: we must heal the heart in the manner of the heart. With sensitivity and warmth. I'm so excited to be offering this journey to you! If it feels right, I look forward to supporting you on your path.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Lee
How much is it?
Here’s what you get:
Profound tools and life-changing practices
From an experienced psychotherapist
Delivered to you daily,
Email and audio,
Plus recorded meditations,
Plus the ability to reply and share experiences and ask questions
For 30 days
But I really want the most people possible to be able to access this resource. I think we need these tools now more than ever.
So I’m going to offer for this for $99.
I’m opening the door wide. See you on the other side.
Appreciation for Tending the Garden of the Heart
Dear Lee,
With deep gratitude.
I have thoroughly enjoyed Tending the Heart of my Heart and I am so glad I said yes to doing it.
Each morning they have resonated with me to such a depth that I feel I need to do the course again, there’s so much to unpack and digest for me. I am humbled by how much thought and time you have given in designing and delivering this course.
From one heart to another, keep your important work going, it is so profoundly needed in this crazy world!
-Kerrie
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These thirty days designed by you have been revelatory and divine. I want to go back and do them again and again!
I so looked forward to listening each morning. It made my vision quest clearer and more focused, a bit of a doozy really. It made my inner sight clearer and more defined. More body, heart and spirit aware. Thank you so much for putting this out there, expanding your offerings for so many others. Your voice was so soothing and calming. I’m going to tell as many as I can to get onto this because connection is vital essence!
- Much love and gratitude
Mary
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As someone who often finds it difficult to tune into deeper feelings and imaginings, I found the meditations and practices in this course very accessible and even enjoyable.
The exercises were helpful in many ways including bringing a sense of compassion to who I am and, as a result, I feel more accepting of where I'm at.
I feel like I can now tap into the process of tuning in to what's going on in my body with a more expanded heart.
Also, the support from Lee throughout the course was invaluable.
- With much gratitude, Julie
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Thank you Lee
It has been a truly powerful journey over the past 30 days for me.
After the TGH journey I feel much more empowered and more wholesome in knowing that some very important tools have been laid in front of me and are starting to sprout within.
I sense that before this I knew the direction and where to move towards however the stepping stones were somewhat blurry and confusing.
Now I feel a renewed excitement in knowing that the navigation of the hardest aspects of my trauma and my escapism from those is within my reach.
Deep deep gratitude to you for leading the way into such intricate, desolate, exciting and inevitable journey to the depths of our being and minds.
- Love to you
Ribhu
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That was so perfectly what I needed. I'm feeling hesitant to express my gratitude, which is why I'm going to express my gratitude as it actually feels. I feel like the project here, TGH, has a depth of giving and receiving and learning and healing that I will dive into for a long time. I think I'll head back to day one now and begin again. I feel like I learnt a lot, in a little seed, big tree kind of way. I coupled the month with some health issues too and that's been perfect to run along side. I love seeing how I am backing myself more and able to articulate my needs in a more rooted manner. I'm also finding ways to weave it into my day to day. Tonight at 9pm when wee one was still resisting sleep, I went to my medicine place, just briefly, but it was there for me. I saw some agitation in my body that didn't get fuelled.
I'm excited to keep going and also to read what's more, as I've been feeling anxious for its end.
Big grateful genuine appreciation and support
- Sarah
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I’m still experiencing benefits from Tending the Garden of the Heart . Thank you for the clarity and practicality for everyday living.
- Much love, Richard
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‘Ahhh, wow. What a Masterpiece!”
‘I looked forward to the emails every morning and deepening into the practice each day. You are so creative, inspired and eloquent with your wisdom... Thank you for sharing it.’
-Michelle M
And about previous RBR offerings:
“I’m 58. I think that may have been the best $$ I have spent in my entire life.
Thank you Lee. That was extraordinary “
-John B
“(Lee) takes very complicated concepts and explain them in simple, useful ways. I always enjoy listening. It instantly brought me back to my body.
See you soon.'“
-Matt H
“The recordings have been super helpful. They have come into our lives with impeccable timing, as we navigate new territory with a teenager in the home 😉”
- Emily B
“Thanks so much for these calls. They have been so helpful, the thing I particularly loved is the way I can relate these tools to so many aspects of my life. Not just in parenting, but in dealing with others as well as how I care for and talk to myself.
Even if it's just a little bit, I already feel more confident and equipped to deal with situations that before may have felt overwhelming.”
- Deb R